Windigo down Brown Bears to open Alaska road trip

The Wisconsin Windigo kept up its winning ways, even between 21 hours of travel to Alaska, to face the Kenai River Brown Bears, where the Windigo came away with a weekend sweep with scores of 4-2 and 8-2. 

Before the weekend started, these two squads were to square off on the ice as the top two teams in the Midwest division of the North American Hockey League.

“We looked a little rough for the first two periods on Friday. I was proud of the way the guys stayed the course. They fought off those penalties. As long as we were able to stay 5-on-5 we had a chance. That’s a long road trip for anyone to overcome and it showed. I was glad to

see us get our legs moving in the third,” said head coach John Mitchell about Friday’s game. 

“I was very pleased with our special teams. We play fast on the penalty kill,” added Mitchell after the game on Saturday. “Sometimes that can put our goalie in a bit of a predicament, and we need him to bail us out. Our PK didn’t allow a goal all weekend. The power play was four for 10.”

Windigo 4,

Brown Bears 2

As for the victory on Friday, Wisconsin faced a deficit after the first period as Kenai outshot the visitors 14-7 to take a 1-0 lead into the middle period. Braydon Beahm then tallied his sixth goal of the year not even six minutes into the second period, giving the Windigo life and tied the game at 1-1. 

The Brown Bears regained the 2-1 lead, but that’s all the Windigo would allow through the final buzzer. 

Beahm used his second of the night to tie the game at 2-2 which started a string of three unanswered goals. 

Riley Joslin scored his first NAHL goal at 11:58 of the third period to put the Windigo in the lead. Hill tipped in a pass into the net for the score. Teddy Richardson’s empty netter with 1:53 remaining sealed the victory. 

Beau Altman stopped 23 shots to earn the win for Wisconsin. 

“I was glad to see us get our legs moving in the third. Altman had a great debut for us. I had a gut instinct to put him in net tonight. I’m pleased it worked out for him and the team,” stated Mitchell.

Windigo 8, Brown Bears 2

It was another quick start for the home Brown Bears as they found the back of the net just 11 seconds into the game. 

From there, Wisconsin tied the game at 1-1 before an avalanche of goals from the Windigo made a difference in the second period. 

Out of the 19 shots in the middle frame, Wisconsin buried 5 of them to take a commanding lead. Elliot Gulley buried two goals in between a few others, which gave the Windigo a 6-1 lead heading into the third. 

Kenai scored one short-handed goal, but the penalty kill for the Windigo was spot-on all weekend. On Saturday, they stopped all five man-advantage opportunities for the Brown Bears. On the flip side, Wisconsin scored on three of six power plays in the two games. 

Up next, the Windigo remain in Alaska and will face the Anchorage Wolverines this upcoming Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26, for a two-game battle.